Hi y'all! My name is Melissa and I am 29 years old living on Camp Lejeune, NC! I have a three year old daughter, Kaylie, and my husband is currently deployed to Afghanistan. It feels like I have been battling my weight since I got out of High School, when I stopped team sports. I love going to the gym, and am trying to get one of the personal trainers from the gym to help me out soon. I believe I am obese, and it has been really hard for me to loose weight. I am very short, 4'11 and was 183 when my husband left in early January. I have been dieting(using this site constantly, and using the weekend method as one of my guilt free days). I have since lost 11 lbs, but I want to loose so much more. This is the most that I have been able to loose in a long time, and I can't even put a number on how much I want to loose, because I don't want to bring myself down. I feel like I NEED to, that this much weight on my body is only hurting things and will only give me more problems when I grow older. I am trying to get some of the wives around here to do the Dirty Girl mud run in Raleigh in March. I think that would give me a super boost of confidence.

Hi! I'm Krystal. I live in the Swansboro area with my husband and our many fur children. I really just started and have lost about 4 pounds. Have around 100 to go. Currently working hard to exercise and eat properly so that I can be much healthier.

Hi everyone, I am Charles, pushing 40 and live in new Bern. I am struggling to get myself healthy so I can keep up with my 9 year old daughter! I want to begin to feel more positive about myself and my appearance. My diet attempts have been discouraging but I am not going to give up! I have about 70 pounds to my goal and am trying hard to eat better and exercise more.

Sean - I haven't heard of any, sorry. The Zombie run is out in Charlotte, here's a link:
https://www.thezombierun.com/location/charlotte

I would be willing to train for a zombie run... that would have to be fun!!! although i have never really ran in my life except when they made us in gym class in high school (shudder)

Hey!!! I'm Ashley from Goldsboro.... I was on this site for a while and lost 20lbs.... Then I got pregnant and gained it all back... Lol almost the exact amount weight back.... But anywho, I'm looking forward to losing the baby weight and being completely healthy for my son who is now 3 months!!!

Hi, I'm Whittney from Red Springs, NC (Robeson County). I am 23 years old with a 5 year old son. I have a Bachelors Degree in Business Finance (University of North Carolina-Pembroke).

What is motivating you? I am motivated by the fact that I am not happy with my appearance and just how I feel inside when I eat unhealthy foods. Also, my son is motivating me to want to be healthier to increase my chances of living longer to see him grow to be the man he is destined to be.

Tbh, I just started on this lifestyle change. Over the past yr I have started and fell off..FINALLY ENOUGH IS ENOUGH THO especially after seeing myself in a bridesmaids dress and being the biggest one.

My current weight is 220lbs and I would like to get to 155 lbs and maintain it!

Hi everybody! My name is Bobbie and I just moved to Nashville, NC from Michigan with my boyfriend at the end of January. Other than this crazy weather you all have been having I love it down here so far. Coming from Michigan I thought manners and common courtesy was a thing of the past. I have to admit I love the southern hospitality.

In 2009 I had hit an all time low. I had reached my heaviest of 260+ pounds, I don't know how much I actually weighed at my heaviest because I refused to get on the scale. But after a month of changing my eating habits I had dropped a few pounds because my pants fit again, so I decided to weigh myself then. Over the course of the next 4 years I had lost 121 pounds. I know I probably could have lost the weight faster but I refused to give up the foods that I loved, I just ate smaller portions. I also started walking, I was suffering from severe depression and with every medication they prescribed they had to prescribe another one to balance out the side effects. I was a mental health mess and to be honest on the verge of suicide. I had read an article that said a 30 minute brisk walk daily helped improve the symptoms of clinical depression. I figured it couldn't hurt, I had tried everything else and walking had no side effects. Within a month, I was no longer taking my sleeping pill and within 6 months I was off my medications completely.

Well the last couple of years have thrown me for a loop. I quit running for the most part, I only ran a few miles here and there but nothing really to speak up last year. I only logged 438 miles last year, that is less than half of the miles I logged the previous year. After I had quit making me and exercise a priority I gained 29 pounds back and have had to be put back on a couple of medications. I am so disappointed in myself, I had worked so hard to get to where I was and I just let life beat me down. But I am done!!! I am fighting back!!! This is my life! I am in charge! And I will not let life beat me!!!

I started running again on January 10th, that was the third day that I didn't wake up with a fever. Santa brought me H1N1 for Christmas and I had a fever for 13 consecutive days and a cough that lasted almost a month. I was still able to get a pretty good start and ran 45.09 miles for the month. This month has been pretty awesome too, 31.37 miles so far. I will slowly get back up there. I have also started strength training and swimming. I love living close to a Y.

I really don't have a time goal for my weight loss but I would like to lose the 29 pounds I had gained back. I am more concerned with me feeling better again. I know that this move has added to some of my stress, especially since we are still waiting to get into our house. We have been living in extended stay for three weeks now. But I know it will all work out, I just have to have faith and patience. I really want to get back into running half marathons again, I think that is my favorite distance. Until then I am trying to run a 5K a month.

Now that I have rambled on and bored you all have to death. I look forward to meeting all of you.

Hello All! My name is Heather and I'm an NC transplant from Minnesota. I was a teacher in Bertie county for three years and now I live in Rocky Mount and work at a non-profit.

When I first moved to Windsor, NC in 2009 I had a little too much soul cooking and a little too little movement in my life and quickly gained 60+ pounds. I will never forget going home for Christmas and having my dad ask me what had I "done" to myself. My highest weight was between 205 and 210. I joined a gym and worked retail for six months while I was between jobs and got down to about 175, but now that I work a desk job again I gained a bunch of weight back.

Right now, I'm restarting my weight loss at around 195. I've been working with a nutrition coach for a little over two weeks and have lost about 5 pounds. My next step is to re-dedicate myself to working out. I have easy access to a gym and a dog who loves long (hour +) walks, so I really don't have any excuse. My goal is to get down to somewhere below 135 - the high end of healthy for my height.

I know from past experience that I am more successful myself when I'm connected with other people, so feel free to friend me. Hopefully we can be of support to each other! Congratulations on starting your journey and best of luck to you all.